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NRG Stadium beat Miami’s Sun Life Stadium in the race to host the finale of the 2016 NFL season ,and it will be the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons battling for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday February 5, with the Super Bowl LI start time scheduled for 23:30 GMT.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am for Houston in being selected as the site for the 2017 Super Bowl,” said Houston Texans chairman CEO Bob McNair. “This is a worldwide stage that will be constructed in Houston and the world will be watching. It’s an opportunity to showcase our wonderful city, the NFL and the Super Bowl all at the same time.”

What time does Super Bowl LI start?

The Super Bowl LI start time is scheduled to be 23:30 GMT on Sunday, February 5, with the players being introduced ahead of the national anthem at around 23:00 GMT. The game is expected to be over by 03:30 GMT.

Who will perform the Super Bowl half-time show?

Despite fan petitions to have her replaced, Lady Gaga will join the ranks of legendary performers that have taken to the stage at half-time of a Super Bowl.

In recent years the trend has been to have the half-time performer joined on stage by other big-name stars – like last year when Coldplay were joined by Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson – but reports have claimed Gaga will not have any special guests during her performance, which is expected to begin at around 01:00 GMT.

The national anthem will be performed by country music star Luke Bryan at around 23:00 GMT, with the Super Bowl LI start time scheduled for 23:30 GMT.

About NRG Stadium

NRG Stadium, formerly the Reliant Stadium, opened in 2002 and has been the home of the Houston Texans NFL franchise ever since. With a capacity of 71,975, this stadium first held a Super Bowl back in February 2004 and it will be the host site for Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017. But NFL football is not the only major thing to happen at this stadium.

Rodeo, College Football bowl games and College Basketball games have taken place at NRG Stadium and it also hosts international soccer matches. Not only have the United States and Mexican national teams played there, English Premier League giants Manchester United face a Major League Soccer All-star side in Houston in 2010.

In the entertainment world, NRG Stadium has hosted countless concerts featuring the likes of the Rolling Stones, U2 and Metallica, while World Wrestling Entertainment held its annual WrestleMania show there back in 2009. That event featured award-winning actor Mickey Rourke getting involved in an angle with a WWE superstar just months after he earned critical acclaim for his performance as a professional wrestler, Randy “The Ram” Robinson, in the hit movie, The Wrestler.

History Of The Super Bowl In Houston

This will be the third time that the city of Houston has played host to the Super Bowl and it is the second time the NFL’s showpiece game has taken place at the home of the Houston Texans.

The first ever Super Bowl to be held in Houston was Super Bowl VIII back in 1974, and it was a historic occasion because it was the first time the Super Bowl took place in a stadium that was not occupied by an NFL franchise.

The Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings went head-to-head at Rice Stadium and it was the Dolphins who ran out winners on the back of MVP fullback Larry Csonka. Miami, coached by the legendary Don Shula, made a fast start as a couple of first-quarter touchdowns put them 14 points up, and the Vikings had no answer as a fourth-quarter touchdown proved to be mere consolation in a 24-7 scoreline.

It was not until 2004 that the Super Bowl returned to the Texas city, with the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers colliding in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and it was game that grabbed the headlines on both the front and the back pages thanks to a thrilling finish and a controversial half-time show.

The Patriots and Panthers were scoreless in the first quarter before a flurry of points saw the former take a 14-10 lead into half-time. The third quarter was just as dour as the first as neither side could add to the scoreline, but the game exploded into life during a record-setting fourth quarter.

The two teams put up a combined 37 points – the most scored in the final quarter of a Super Bowl – but it was the final three that proved to be the most crucial. Adam Vinatieri kept his nerve to convert a 41-yard field goal with just four seconds left on the clock and that was enough to hand New England a 32-29 victory and their second Super Bowl success in three years.

And of course, Super Bowl XXXVIII is also remembered for a certain wardrobe malfunction during the half-time show. Following performances from the likes of Kid Rock, Nelly and P Diddy, it was the turn of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake to perform a couple of hits and it was right at the end that the incident happened.

Timberlake sang the final line “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song” before ripped away part of Jackson’s outfit, exposing her breast. TV producers could not move away from the shot in time and it became the most re-watched moment in TiVo history!

Will there be more controversy when Super Bowl LI takes place on Sunday, February 5?